Phoenix get a little Xtra help

2014 / 2015 will be the second year of a highly successful partnership that Phoenix has formed with Halifax. The partnership was set up as part of the Business in the Community’s Business Class Programme.

The programme is designed to help young people in schools understand, in a very practical way, what opportunities exist in the world of work and what qualifications and expertise they need to access them.

Currently, 30% of UK employers say that a lack of skills in the workforce makes it hard to fill entry-level vacancies. Schools and businesses participating in the Business in the Community programme report that it has improved students’ employability by 40%.

In 2013 / 2014 Halifax employees:

· Spent a full day with all of our Sixth Form students developing their ability to perform well in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.

· Halifax ‘Bright Sparks’ group worked with Phoenix’s student council to develop their role and provide an effective channel through which students views can be expressed.

· Phoenix hosted ‘The Big Lunch’ on 1st June 2014, where members of the local community took part in fun lunchtime activities and raised £1,078.20 for Sandwell Parents for Disabled Children.